1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to captioning online video.
2. Related Art
Video content can include audio, such as dialogue, music, and other sound. Timed text (TT), such as a caption or subtitle, is sometimes provided with video content. Timed text can serve a number of purposes. First, timed text can make the dialogue understandable to the hearing impaired. Second, timed text can translate the audio for those who do not understand the language of the dialogue. Third, timed text can make the video understandable in environments where audio is unavailable or not permitted. Finally, timed text can provide commentary to video with educational or entertainment value.
Video is increasingly being accessed by remote users over networks, such as the Internet. The rise of the World Wide Web (also called “web”), including various web applications, protocols, and related networking and computing technologies has made it possible for remote users to view and to play video. Many videos available through the web lack timed text.
The many users of the web provide the opportunity for collaboration. Users can create content, share that content, and allow others to improve on that content. In at least one case, this has allowed users to collaborate to create an online encyclopedia (Wikipedia, available at www.wikipedia.org). However, allowing users to create their own content, or modify that of others, can lead to vandalism or unwanted advertising, known as spam.
Systems and methods are needed to enable users to collaborate over the web to create timed text for online video, while minimizing the risk of vandalism.